Thanks for posting the Slant review Franz. Very interesting take on the film and I'm inclined to advise people not to read the review until they have seen the film. Whilst I didn't agree with a lot of the review I could certainly appreciate the point of view being expressed. And I'm not too concerned about what reads as a character assassination of Greengrass as I really wonder why he felt the need to make this film as a lot of what is shows all played out in the media, and everything you could know about the events of 21 July 2011 are all over the internet. But he did make it so here goes.

I actually saw the film today, taking an opportunity to see it on a cinema screen rather than on a TV screen when I eventually get around to subscribing to Netflix.

**In the section coloured in green there are some minor spoiler but I suspect these were revealed anyway in earlier reviews linked to. But if you don't want any avoid that paragraph.

One of the things about seeing films is we all bring along baggage and that does have an impact on how one reacts to a film. My baggage in this case is having seen the Norwegian film by Erik Poppe U 22 July last May. It was a rather harrowing experience as it takes most of its viewpoint from one of the teenagers on Utoya (a fictional character that incorporated actual specific events that happened) and most of the running time is a nearly unbearable single take. The massacre is played out in real time, Breivik only glimpsed at twice.

The Greengrass film takes a completely different approach. The island massacre probably lasts about 20 minutes of screen time and the film starts with the preparation and bombing of the Government Headquarters in Oslo carried out by Breivik. Most of the Greengrass film actually deals with the aftermath and centres on a teenager VIljar Hanssen, who survived the attack, and the killer himself Anders Behring Breivik.

I was surprised how the film wasn't that harrowing but instead rather clinical. Certainly, Greengrass milks certain scenes for dramatic impact but because aside from the two leads no other character has much any depth applied to them and are very broadly presented.

The disturbing aspect of the film is that it may very well pander the right-wing extremists as Breivik is portrayed in a very human charismatic manner. This is were I have conflicts because he should be portrayed as human because he is human and many people have committed heinous acts that are unfortunately part of humanity. But it just made me feel very uncomfortable presenting Breivik in this manner, particularly so soon after the events unfolded. Also, given that these events unfolded seven years ago and since that time the rise of the extreme right has taken a growing grip in many parts of the world and is given a very reasoned voice within the film.

Jonas Strand Gravli & Anders Danielsen Lie dominate the film and are both good but are disadvantaged by not really having anyone to play off effectively with the exception of Jon Oigarden who plays Breivik's lawyer who was pretty good given the limitations of the role.

In conclusion, and this is awful to say, but I found the later part of the film oddly entertaining and it shouldn't be but I suspect that is because it goes through various cycles of story telling that are all too familiar and work so well for many fictional films. Though at the screening I attending someone started sobbing at one point towards the end of the film as the message conveyed is utterly shattering.

I certainly didn't find any entertainment value in United 93 or U - 22 July. They were exercises is giving me (the audience) some sense of what it may have been like for those unfortunate victims and they are really shitty experiences to sit through. But this was different and in conclusion a rather arms length viewing experience that motives remain questionable.

“Those Koreans. They’re so suspicious, you know, ever since Hiroshima.” Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange) from American Horror Story: Season One

An interesting article from The Guardian from the perspective of one of the survivors of the Utoya massacre on Greengrass film and the Erik Poppe film, a Norwegian film which premiered at Berlin earlier this year:

Across the board raves for the new Peter Greengrass film based on recent real life events in Norway.

It's disadvantages aside from being a Netflix production is if people will actually be willing to sit down and watch what is an apparently harrowing film. Though its worth remembered that Greengrass himself was nominated for best director for United 93 that also dealt with a harrowing real life event in a film that was devastatingly hard to watch.

As a side note Norway did not submit a local production which covers some of the same ground titled U - 22 July so no distractions from that film.